Boot Fit & Sizing

BOA or laces on hunting boots

A dial you turn with gloves on against a system you can fix with a bootlace. Both have a real case, and the deciding factor is what happens when it fails.

By Mike M.Last updated October 6, 2026

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Quick picks

#	Product	Fit	Score	Price
Rank 1	Danner Pronghorn 800g All-day walking in the cold	Not published	8.7	$244.67Amazon
Rank 2	Irish Setter Elk Tracker 12-inch, 1,000g Cold-weather hunts that involve walking	Lace-up	8.6	$279.95Amazon
Rank 3	Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 Steep country with a heavy pack	Not published	8.2	$539.95Amazon
Rank 4	Lowa Renegade EVO GTX Mid Wide-ish feet that need a hiker	Not published	7.6	$279.95Amazon

#ad Prices come from Amazon and change. How this site is funded. Scores are our published editorial rubric — see our methodology.

The BOA system is a dial connected to a steel lace that runs through guides on the boot. You turn the dial to tighten, pull it to release. It appears on a growing number of hunting boots, and the arguments for and against are both better than the marketing on either side.

	BOA dial	Traditional laces
Speed	Seconds, one hand	Slower, two hands
With gloves on	Easy - the main advantage	Awkward
Pressure distribution	Even along the lace path	Zone by zone - you choose where
Relieving one pressure point	Hard - it is one continuous system	Easy - skip an eyelet
Heel-lock lacing	Not possible	Yes, and it is the fix for heel slip
Field repair	Needs the maker's replacement kit	Any bootlace, or paracord
Cold and ice	Dials can freeze or clog with mud	Laces freeze stiff but still work
Cost to replace	A kit, and sometimes a return to the maker	A dollar

The real tradeoff is adjustability and repairability against speed

The case for BOA

Speed with gloves on. Tightening a boot at 5am in the cold with gloved hands is genuinely easier with a dial, and if you take boots on and off during a hunt it adds up.
Even tension along the lace path, which some people find more comfortable than the zone-by-zone pressure of laces.
Micro-adjustment while wearing it. You can nudge a dial a click tighter without stopping to untie anything - useful on a long descent.
Nothing to catch. No lace ends to snag in brush or get stepped on.

The case for laces

You can relieve one specific pressure point. Skipping an eyelet over a sore instep is the single most useful fit adjustment there is, and a dial cannot do it: break-in.
Heel-lock lacing. The standard fix for heel slip requires discrete eyelets, and heel slip is the commonest fit complaint there is.
Field repair with anything. A broken lace is fixed with a spare lace, paracord or a strap. A failed dial usually ends the day in that boot.
Mud and ice. A dial with a packed mechanism is a problem; a frozen lace is an inconvenience.

Which failure mode matters more to you

That is the actual decision. A lace fails cheaply and predictably. A dial fails rarely and expensively. For a day hunt near a truck, the dial's convenience probably wins. For a week in the backcountry where a failed boot means walking out, a repairable closure is worth more than the convenience.

Lace-up boots across the range

The lace-up boots we recommend elsewhere on the site, priced live. We will add BOA models when there is a good one we can link.

#1 · All-day walking in the cold

$244.67Amazon

$299.95 18% off

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 6, 2026

Danner Pronghorn 800g

Danner

8.7/10

800g in Danner's Pronghorn platform, which is built around a supportive midsole rather than a soft one. The boot to buy if your hunt is measured in miles.

Published specifications
Insulation	800g
Shaft height	Not published by manufacturer
Upper	Leather and nylon
Waterproofing	Gore-Tex (manufacturer)
Outsole	Danner Pronghorn

Specifications per Danner published specifications.

What it does well

One of the few insulated boots that genuinely supports a loaded pack
Gore-Tex plus a recraftable platform - this is a multi-season purchase
800g walks far better than 1,000g or more

Where it falls short

Expensive, and the wide sizes are the ones that go out of stock
Needs a real break-in period; do not buy it the week before a hunt

Our rubric

Warmth: 8.0
Waterproofing: 8.8
Fit: 9.4
Durability: 9.4
Value: 7.8

#2 · Cold-weather hunts that involve walking

Irish Setter Elk Tracker 12-inch, 1,000g from Irish Setter

$279.95Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 6, 2026

Irish Setter Elk Tracker 12-inch, 1,000g

Irish Setter

8.6/10

1,000g of insulation in a 12-inch lace-up leather boot: the combination that lets you cover ground in the cold without the sweat-then-freeze cycle a rubber pull-on forces.

Published specifications
Insulation	1,000g
Shaft height	12 in
Upper	Full-grain leather
Waterproofing	UltraDry membrane (manufacturer)
Fit	Lace-up

Specifications per Irish Setter published specifications.

What it does well

Laces mean you can actually tension the boot to your foot, which is why it walks better than any pull-on
1,000g is the sweet spot for a boot you walk in and then sit in
Leather takes a real conditioning treatment and lasts seasons longer than neoprene

Where it falls short

Leather is not scent-free the way rubber is, and it absorbs whatever you walk through
Needs breaking in, and the 12-inch shaft takes the longest to soften
Water depth is limited to the top of the laces, so not a marsh boot

Our rubric

Warmth: 8.8
Waterproofing: 7.8
Fit: 9.2
Durability: 9.2
Value: 8.2

#3 · Steep country with a heavy pack

Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 from Kenetrek

$539.95Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 6, 2026

Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400

Kenetrek

8.2/10

A full-shank mountain boot with only 400g of insulation, and that pairing is deliberate: in steep country you generate your own heat and need support, not loft.

Published specifications
Insulation	400g Thinsulate
Shaft height	10 in
Upper	2.8mm full-grain leather
Midsole	Full-length nylon shank
Waterproofing	Windtex membrane (manufacturer)

Specifications per Kenetrek published specifications.

What it does well

The stiff shank is what stops your feet dying on a sidehill under 60 pounds
One-piece leather upper with minimal seams - the fewest failure points here
Resoleable, which matters at this price

Where it falls short

The most expensive boot in this registry by a wide margin
A serious break-in. Buyers who skip it report exactly the blisters you would expect
Overkill, and genuinely uncomfortable, for stand hunting

Our rubric

Warmth: 6.8
Waterproofing: 8.8
Fit: 9.0
Durability: 9.8
Value: 6.6

#4 · Wide-ish feet that need a hiker

$279.95Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 6, 2026

Lowa Renegade EVO GTX Mid

Lowa

7.6/10

The most-sold hiking boot in its class for a reason: a forgiving last, a genuine Gore-Tex membrane, and almost no break-in.

Published specifications
Insulation	None (uninsulated)
Shaft height	Mid
Upper	Nubuck leather
Waterproofing	Gore-Tex (manufacturer)
Widths	Standard and wide offered

What it does well

Available in a true wide, which rules most hunting boots out of contention
Comfortable immediately

Where it falls short

Uninsulated and mid-height - a three-season scouting boot only
Nubuck needs treating to survive wet brush

Our rubric

Warmth: 3.2
Waterproofing: 8.6
Fit: 9.6
Durability: 8.6
Value: 7.8

A note on what is actually available

BOA appears far more often in snow sports and cycling than in hunting footwear, and the hunting models that use it come and go. Most of the boots we recommend across this site are lace-ups, which reflects what is on the market rather than a verdict against the dial.

If you own BOA boots

Keep the mechanism clean. Rinse mud out of the dial after wet hunts rather than letting it dry in.
Carry the maker's spare kit on any multi-day hunt. It is small and it is the only field repair available.
Learn the emergency release before you need it in the dark.
Do not force a clogged dial. That is how the internal lace strips.

Frequently asked questions

Is BOA better than laces on hunting boots?

BOA is faster and far easier with gloves on, and it distributes tension evenly. Laces let you relieve one specific pressure point, allow heel-lock lacing, and can be repaired with anything. For backcountry hunts the repairability usually wins; for day hunts the convenience often does.

Do BOA dials break?

They fail rarely, and when they do the repair needs the manufacturer's replacement kit rather than any lace you have in the truck. That asymmetry is the main argument for laces on multi-day hunts away from a road.

Can you heel-lock a BOA boot?

No - heel-lock lacing requires discrete eyelets you can route a lace through differently, and BOA is one continuous system. If a BOA boot heel-slips, a volume-filling structured insole is the main available fix.

Does BOA work in cold and mud?

Generally, but the mechanism can clog with mud or ice, which is the practical complaint. Rinse the dial after wet hunts, learn the emergency release before you need it, and carry the maker's spare kit on long trips.

Sources

Boot Fit & Sizing

BOA or laces on hunting boots

Quick picks

The case for BOA

The case for laces

Which failure mode matters more to you